1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to environmentally responsible packaging methods and means for supporting and isolating an article to be shipped within a carton or container in such a manner that the article is protected against damage from impact shock imposed on the carton or container, and more particularly to a packaging method and means which utilizes at least one pair of confronting resilient and compressible cushioning means that surround or partially surround the article to be shipped and which cushioning means are wholly or partially interposed between the article to be shipped and the container or carton in which it is shipped.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
A preliminary patentability and novelty search in connection with this invention has revealed the existence of the following U.S. Pat. Nos.
______________________________________ 2,275,575 4,495,237 4,619,055 4,869,939 5,518,802 ______________________________________
As indicated by the patents listed above, there has been a concerted effort over an extended interval to provide some type of protective structure to resist the deleterious effect of impact forces on an object. Thus, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,275,575, there is disclosed an underliner for floor coverings that includes a multiplicity of interconnected semi-spherical pockets over which an air-impervious membrane is adhered so as to trap air within the interconnected pockets. Thus, a weight or impact imposed on any small portion of the floor covering effects compression of a limited number of the pockets and the air therein which, because of the compression forces imposed thereon, is transferred through appropriate channels into adjacent pockets.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,237, a pyramidal core structure is formed by two opposing panels, each of which is formed with a plurality of truncated hollow pyramids embossed thereon. The two panels may be inverted and mated to form a core structure. It is contended by this patent that the pyramidal core structure supports loads and distributes stresses in such a manner as to closely approximate stress distribution in a solid panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,055 relates to a cushioning pad that is particularly useful for inclusion as an inner sole in shoes to protect the human foot and body while walking or standing. The cushioning pad is formed by multi-layers of materials each of which performs a specific function such as moisture absorption, resiliency such as foam rubber which molds to the individuals particular foot contour, and a shock absorbing layer of soft naturally resilient latex rubber. Air holes are provided in the pad thus formed to provide for the circulation of air therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,939 relates specifically to an interconnecting air incapsulating cellular material in sheet form that appears quite similar to the underliner for floor coverings disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,275,575 in which adjacent air encapsulating cells are in flow communication so that upon direct pressure to one of such cells, the air may be displaced and can flow to an adjacent cell, thus dissipating the energy of an impact, weight or load shock.
The cushioning structure disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,501 is quite similar to the pyramidal core structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,237 in that a plurality of specifically shaped cells containing a fluid, such as air, are formed between two or more planar sheets of pliable material bonded to the shaped relatively rigid cell structures. The cell structures are disclosed as being in fluid communication with each other to provide a valved fluid transfer from one cell to the next.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,802 also discloses a cushioning structure for dampening the shock of impacts on the cushioning structure. The cushioning structure includes a matrix of specifically shaped cells containing a fluid, such as air or other gas, which is trapped within the cells by flexible planar sheets bonded thereover. Fluid communication is provided between the adjacent specifically shaped cells
None of the patents listed above appear to disclose a cushioning system that constitutes a prefabricated "air-pack" that is designed and configured to specifically fit about a product to be shipped, and to fit within the confines of the shipping container in which the article that is cushioned by the "air-pack" is to be shipped. Accordingly, one of the important objects of the present invention is to provide, as an article of manufacture, such a specifically prefabricated cushioning system or "air-pack" that gives consideration to the exterior dimensions and configuration of the article to be shipped, and the interior dimensions of the container in which the article is to be shipped, and which is resiliently and compressibly interposed in the space between the article to be shipped and the inner surfaces of the container so as to provide a resiliently compressible air "pillow" between the article and the container to absorb the shock of impacts.
At the present time, there are several methods and structures for cushioning articles to be shipped that both create waste and are wasteful of our natural resources. One such method is the formation and use of so called "popcorn" particles of Styrofoam that surround an article to be shipped in a corrugated cardboard carton, for instance, and whose function is to absorb impact shocks that might otherwise damage the article being shipped. Another structure that is frequently used is a preformed Styrofoam block or blocks or elongated stringers that to some extent conform to the configuration of the associated article being shipped and are interposed between the interior surface of the container and the article so that, in effect, the article being shipped is retained and cushioned by the Styrofoam blocks in a spaced relationship with the interior surface of the container in which it is shipped. These Styrofoam blocks however are not resilient or elastic and once crushed they do not regain their original shape. Additionally, Styrofoam is practically indestructable in landfill operations Other impact absorbing materials and technologies include polyurethane or polyethylene expanded foam, prefabricated foam corner blocks, spherical polyethylene corner block assemblies, thin sheet foam wraps and "bubble pack" wraps wherein many small pockets of entrapped air provide impact absorbing characterstics. The aforementioned materials and technologies are comparatively heavy (2 pounds per cubic foot of material), must be cut and shaped from large sixty-four cubic foot "buns" or stored in voluminous rolls, all of which cost and wastefully consume our natural resources time and time again during their entire life cycle: raw stock manufacture, transport, storage, configuration, transport to consuming industries, storage, transportation of the protected product, disposal of the packaging material by the product end user, recycling of the disposed product or landfill operation.
Comparatively speaking, one pound of air-pack material constitutes one hundred cubic feet of packaging and cushioning in a preassembled space of one cubic foot, verses a weight of two hundred or more pounds (per hundred cubic feet) for "celled" foams. The air pack invention results therefore in about a four-hundred times reduction in transportation costs and two-hundred times reduction in storage space over existing packaging and cushion technologies.
Accordingly, it is yet another object of the present invention to provide an "air-pack" system or unit for which the raw materials are inexpensive to manufacture, which occupy a minimal amount of space relative to its fabricated form, is effective to resiliently cushion an article to be shipped within a shipping container, and which minimizes the waste of packaging because it uses air or previously generated materials to cushion an article, protecting it from damage which may be incurred during shipping and handling. Additionally, the "air-pack" unit forming the subject matter of this invention is formed from. biodegradable materials that readily decompose, without creating toxic materials, when buried in landfills.
The prior art is replete with patents that disclose the concept of utilizing a selectively inflatable bladder which may surround or be interposed in deflated condition between an article to be shipped and the interior of a container and then selectively inflated to trap air within the bladder and thus provide a cushion for the article contained within the shipping container. Such selectively inflatable bladders pose problems such as perforations and non-conformance with the shape of the article being shipped that are not encountered by the unitary "air-pack" system forming the subject matter of this invention which incorporates ambient atmospheric pressure air at the time of manufacture as a result of the method of manufacture. By contrast, with selectively inflatable bladders, too much air (or other gas) may be injected into the bladder causing it to rupture, to thus lessen or eliminate its shock absorbing or dampening purpose, or to impose an inordinate amount of pressure on the article and container, thus subjecting the article to be cushioned to damage during handling or transportation. Or, insufficient air or other gas may be injected into the bladder, thus diminishing the cushioning effect of the bladder. Another problem is that the valves that are utilized in such bladders may leak, releasing the air or other gas contained therein, thus defeating the purpose of the bladder. Additionally, costly air or gas compressing equipment must be purchased and maintained. Accordingly, a still further object of the present invention is the provision of an "air-pack" unit as an article of manufacture which incorporates fluid, such as air or gas, at approximately sea level atmospheric pressure at the time of manufacture.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a fluid-containing cushioning unit having a configuration that generally conforms to the configuration of the container in which it is mounted, and one side or surface of which is adhesively secured to a base member of conforming configuration and dimension to slip snugly into the container in which the article to be shipped is to be packed.
Still another object of the invention is the provision of a shipping container system that includes an exterior container, a first fluid filled "air-pack" cushioning member disposed within the container and supported on the bottom thereof in such manner as to support an article to be shipped, the cushioning member having a preformed recess that circumscribes a "bottom" portion of the article to be shipped, and a second fluid filled "air-pack" cushioning member incorporating a preformed recess that may be superimposed around the upper end portion of the article within the shipping container, with peripheral portions of the two "air-pack" cushioning members circumscribing the article and resiliently spanning the space between the article and selected interior surface portions of the shipping container to thus form a nacelle, within which the article to be shipped is cushioned by a pair of confronting "air-pack" cushioning members or units.
Yet another object of the invention is the provision of simple and inexpensive apparatus for forming the "air-pack" unit that forms the cushioning member by which articles shipped in shipping containers are supported and cushioned to protect them from damaging impact shocks.
Still another object of the invention is the provision of a shipping container system that includes an exterior container, a first cushioning member disposed within the container and. cradling an article to be shipped, the cushioning member having a preformed recess that circumscribes a portion of the article to be shipped, and a second cushioning member within the container and confronting the first cushioning member and incorporating a preformed recess that cradles another portion of the article within the shipping container, with peripheral portions of the two cushioning members circumscribing the article and resiliently spanning the space between the article and selected interior surface portions of the shipping container to thus form a nacelle within which the article to be shipped is cushioned by the pair of confronting cushioning members.
The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood however that the invention is not limited to the embodiments illustrated and described since it may be embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims